A new study from University of Washington

My first thought is rather cynical. Will this study be disregarded and chucked onto a back shelf? I would like to see opioids used in the same way my GP prescribes antibiotics - with caution, only when absolutely essential and for finite periods of time. I feel anxious when I read about these drugs being used with other drugs and especially for those who are substance abusers. I had a cousin who was constantly running to different doctors, having various surgeries/procedures and taking any drug on offer. She ended up on a drug regime equivalent to someone in the fourth stage of cancer despite there being nothing physically wrong with her. Her parents paid for her to go to a rehab facility at one point but she discharged herself after a week. My cousin always managed to find a doctor that would take her money and give her yet another prescription. At the age of 53 she was prescribed two or possibly more drugs by different doctors. Sadly the combination killed her. So from a less cynical standpoint, I hope the medical establishment takes note of this study and makes some radical changes in the way it cares for people with CNCP.

 

There are some good conclusions in the report. However, I'm concerned when I see chronic pain referred to as a psychiatric condition that people will immediately assume that this means the pain is "all in their head". Additionally, I worry when pain is linked with inappropriate use of drugs that it perpetuates the concept of people with chronic pain getting some kind of secondary gain (i.e. pain medicine prescriptions) from their pain. Many of us who suffered from TMS for many years found these attitudes rampant among healthcare professionals, as well as family, friends, and the general public. It wasn't until I encountered the concept of TMS from Schubiner and Sarno that I felt validated that my pain was real, that there was a physical mechanism involved in it's creation, and that the pain's purpose was for primary gain and not secondary gain. And finally, I'm concerned that when people with chronic pain are referred to psychiatrists for treatment, that the majority of those psychiatrists don't have a clue how to treat TMS.

I know I just preached to the choir here